Jimmy Basset – Interview with the Lead Singer Of ‘Skyrocket Love’

EDGAR AVENDANO: You’re music has been labeled “pop-rock”. What does pop-rock mean to you?

JEREMYBASSETT: The reason why I’ve labeled our music pop-rock is because Skyrocket Love has songs that cross over different genres. Our fans are also fans of Bon Jovi and Lady Gaga, who are pop artists. However, we’re also based on rock music. It’s what we came out of. My personal influences are classic rock bands like Queen and Aerosmith. That’s pretty much the reason why we’ve labeled our music pop-rock. It’s pop music that has an edge to it.

EA: I was going through some of your music and found it interesting how it does have that rock style to it, but your voice also has a spiritual element to it. It’s melodic, pleasing, and emotional. Your music has an edge to it and a softer side. Could you talk about how you mix those two elements together?

JB: Honestly, it’s just something that I’ve been able to do all my life. The sensitivity that I have is definitely there. I had a different upbringing that probably lends itself to the emotional side that takes you on a journey through the songs and the lyrics. I definitely pour out my soul into everything I do. It’s kind of like my release from depression and anxiety. It’s everything to me. That’s why I sing.

EA: It’s part of being an artist, being able to find that vehicle that you can express yourself through. One song whose lyrics caught my attention is “Safe in My Dreams”. I was trying to figure out who the song is directed at. So, I put myself in the position of a lover, a parent, a friend, and even as an outsider speaking to the world in general. There’s certainly a universal theme in your music, meaning that it can reach over a large group of people or ideas.

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JB: To me, that’s basically God speaking through me. It’s the way I feel when it comes to songwriting. I want that to reach everybody and anybody. It doesn’t have to be any specific person or anybody from any specific religion. Our songs can be interpreted many different ways. We definitely have songs that are straight-forward, but we try to write in a non-traditional way. We want people to love it. We want a different message to come across in our music.

EA: Could you talk a little bit about the song “Life Support”?

JB: There are a lot of ways to interpret that song as well. Personally, it’s a song that has a lot to do with the time when I was on the street as a kid. It was during that time when I realized that music was what I wanted to do with my life. It’s one of those songs that talks about how, even though we as people can be cynical about life, we still know everything is going to be okay. At one point we finally just let go of that cynicism and let life take over. That’s what I did and that’s when I started Skyrocket Love.

EA: Talk about your involvement in charity organizations.

JB: I’m involved in helping the homeless youth inL.A. and would like to help more young people around the world. Hopefully, as we get more established in the business we can speak out for them. That’s something that’s very important to me: helping kids get off the streets and make them feel like they have a purpose in life and feel they don’t have to be living out there even if they had a bad childhood. They don’t have to dive into drugs and alcohol and ruin their lives. They can still be very successful, regardless.

EA: Have you considered creating your own organization?

JB: I would love to create my own in the future, but as of now I’m always willing to help out in any number of established organizations, such as L.A. Youth & Family Services, Make-A-Wish Foundation or Operation Smile. Kids are the future, the next generation and I would love to see them overcome the mistakes that generations in the past have made. I really think that it’s important to focus what we do as a band on that. This is not to say that I’m some great mentor for kids because I have more problems than anybody else. I’m not perfect at all, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be a positive influence in other ways.

EA: I hear you’re working on a new song right now.

JB: Yes, it’s called “Lost Blood in the Bayou”. It’s a new song we’re writing now in the studio. We don’t even know how it’s going to turn yet. The band is going toNew York for a month to work with David Bendeth and Dan Korneff and hopefully we can work on that song when we’re there.

EA: Skyrocket Love is made up of five members, each from a different state:Florida,Iowa,California andPennsylvania, and one member fromBrazil. Where did the band meet?

JB: Merritt and I started Skyrocket Love. We met through a mutual friend at an Irish pub; we had a few drinks and found that we shared similar interests in music, so we decided to start writing songs together and start a band. Then we met Curtis and worked with different musicians in our community until we established the group we have now. Two of the members, Lucas and Andrew studied at the Musicians Institute inL.A. We’re not all best friends, but we’re definitely friends, you know? It’s definitely like a family I’d say.

EA: Where does the band spend most of their time?

JB: We’re based inLos Angeles.

EA: What doesL.A. mean to the band?

JB: L.A is my home. I can’t speak for the rest of the guys, but I just feel great here. I’ve been here a long time and this city inspires me. The weather is one example of what this great city has to offer.

EA: What inspires you?

JB: A lot of inspiration comes from sadness and past experiences. I turn that sadness and the happiness that comes afterwards into a song. Songs that I write come from experiences and obstacles I have overcome.

EA: Where do you see yourself and your band five years from now?

JB: I see us touring internationally, hopefully from Europe toJapan. I see us still making music together, making great music videos and performing great shows for our fans.

EA: Is there anything you would like readers of this interview to know about yourself and/ or your band?

JB: You know, this has been a very serious interview and we’re not actually very serious at all. We’re pretty much joking around all the time. We’re all just crazy! We are definitely a wild-type rock band. You know, I just got out of the studio and I’m in my business minded mood, but four hours after this interview I’ll be a few drinks in and having a great time!